Vietnamese solidarity and friendship festival opens in France

(VOV) - A solidarity and friendship festival was held in Paris on May 19 with the participation of 50 French organizations, and Vietnamese residents in France to mark President Ho Chi Minh’s 122nd birthday anniversary.

This was the first meeting initiated by the Vietnamese Embassy in France with the aim of linking French organisations with the Vietnamese community.

At the opening ceremony, Choisy-le-Roi mayor, Daniel Davisse, thanked the Vietnamese Embassy for choosing his city to organize the festival which, he said, will help strengthen cooperation between his city and Vietnam. He expressed his hope that his country’s new government headed by President Francois Hollande will provide fresh impetus for maintaining good relations between the two countries.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Duong Chi Dung said the event offered a good chance for the two countries to boost solidarity.

He stressed that Vietnam has entered a new development period, and solidarity activities between Vietnam and international friends will open a broader vision in line with the country’s socio-economic development priorities from now until 2020.

The festival focused on three themes, such as humanity: solidarity for Agent Orange victims; health; and sustainable development: strengthening education and environmental protection.